Don’t Underestimate the Power of the Influencer

Despite its setbacks, social media influencers are an essential marketing tool. Influencers have the power to sway customers into purchasing a product or leaving a brand all together. And with Snapchat’s most recent loss in stock, courtesy of Kylie Jenner, it’s worth noting the power these people have over the consumer space. For one person to influence the stock market; That’s impressive.

What happened with Kylie Jenner and Snapchat is nothing new. Influencers are constantly changing what people are doing, using, and/or listening too. It’s a new way to humanize advertising and make others feel some type of “human connection.” This can even result in negative effects. Once Kylie put out her tweet about the new Snapchat interface, Snap saw a significant jump in negative reviews, which typically results in decreased user engagement (it didn’t).

Kylie showed the true power influencers have and what it’s important to have some influencers under your belt, if that is part of your social media strategy. However, as proven with YouTubers Logan Paul and Pew Pew Pie, it’s important to chose your influencers wisely. While most brands cannot be prepared for things that just happen or that are received negatively, analyzing content and what followers are saying is a crucial part in knowing who you are choosing to represent your brand.